Irremovable adjustable keeper for a door latch



Dec. 14, 1965 F. ODEND'HAL 3,223,441

IRREMOVABLE ADJUSTABLE KEEPER FOR A DOOR LATCH Original Filed Oct. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'FoRTUNE ODEND HAL INVENTOR BY M MW ATTORNEY 5 Dec. 14, 1965 F. ODENDHAL 3,223,441

IRREMOVABLE ADJUSTABLE KEEPER FOR A DOOR LATCH Original Filed Oct. 26, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 39 38 I: G. 4 31 so 'FQQTUNE ODEND HAL INVENTOR flan/MUM ATTORNEY5 United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-34118) The following specification relates to a keeper for a door latch such as is used for securing the door of a cold storage compartment and similar heavy structures.

It is essential that a keeper for a latch of this type must be so mounted on the door jamb or wall as to prevent unauthorized separation of the keeper from the door latch when the latch operating mechanism is secured against retraction. The keeper must be so mounted that any attempt at its dislodgment or separation from the fastener and its latch, will be impossible short of actual destruction. At the same time it is also important to design the keeper so that it is readily adaptable and adjustable to the door fastener. It must meet variations in dimensions. It must also be'subject to adjustment to compensate for changes in the position of the door fastener resulting from misalignment or wear.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means to fasten the keeper on a door jamb secure against unauthorized separation independent of the latch operating mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide a con- 'cealed irremovable mounting of the keeper on the door jamb.

A still further object of the invention is to provide accurate adjustment toward and away from the face of the door jamb to accommodate variation in dimensions of the door, the latch being used to bind the yieldable seal between the door and its jamb.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide concealed means for carrying out the above adjustment toward and from the face of the door jamb and thereafter bolting the keeper in place from an innerside, secure against unauthorized tampering.

The above and other objects of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the preferred form as illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the keeper with associated parts of the latch in cross-section;

FIGURE 2 is a median vertical section of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the keeper with latch parts shown in horizontal section on the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan View of the keeper, and

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation partly in section of the bracket and roller.

Briefly considered, the invention consists in a novel form of keeper or latch strike for the door fastener of a door of massive construction. Such doors are of particular utility in cold storage compartments and like structures Where it is important to insure maintenance of a tight fit. This is essential to prevent reduction in the degree of refrigeration. A keeper for this purpose is mounted on the door jamb opposite the fastener on the door. The keeper is secured to the door jamb or wall of the compartment with a concealed fastening. This insures the keeper against dislodgment when the fastener is otherwise locked in closed position. In view of the variations in thickness of the door and proportions of the fastener, as well as alteration in the thickness of the sealing stripe around the door opening, some adjustment in the position of the keeper is necessary. This, however,

must be accomplished by making an adjustment of the keeper as well as fastening in position, but maintaining such adjustment and fastening features well concealed from unauthorized tampering.

The preferred form of the invention is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings and in association with a door fastener of known type. The keeper is illustrated as associated with the fastener disclosed in the copending application of Fortune Odendhal, filed October 26, 1961, Serial No. 147,935, now Patent No. 3,149,867, of which this application is a division.

The fastener is mounted upon the door 11, while the keeper is mounted upon the door jamb 12, or corresponding part of the wall of the refrigerated compartment.

The fastener casing 13 is firmly attached to the free side edge of the door which it overhangs, as shown in FIGURE 1. Within the casing a transverse pivot pin 14 extends across the front opening of the casing 13. This pivot pin forms a journal for the loosely mounted latch member 15. The latch member 15 has a laterally projecting arm 16. This arm presses against a cushion stop 17 in the inner surface of the casing above the pivot pin 14.

The upper surface of the latch 15 is slightly recessed as shown at 18, to receive the roller of the keeper and to hold it, except when 'the opening movement of the door slightly compresses the sealing gasket 19, mounted on the edge of the doorway.

The opposite end of the latch 15 has a lateral foot or extension 20 by which the latch is retracted.

A removable block 21 is fitted into the back of the latch 15. This block 21 forms a seat for a rod 22, the opposite end of which is suitably anchored within the casing by means not shown.

A compression coil spring 23 extending from a stop on the rod 22 to the block 21, serves to hold the latch 15 in extended, closed position. This spring is compressed and the rod 22 retracted in the opening movement of the latch 15.

The keeper 24 is in the form of a hollow metal casting held on the face of the door jamb 12 opposite the fastener by screws 25, passing through a plurality of slots 26 in the base of the keeper. The distance of the keeper 24 from the edge of the door 11 can therefore be adjustably set as desired. A screw 25 through each slot 26 will then maintain the keeper in adjusted position.

In order to prevent unauthorized dislodgment of the keeper 24 by loosening of the screws 25, concealed means is provided to additionally fasten the keeper in the adjusted position. This consists of a median slot 28 in the base of the keeper. A bolt or screw 29 can be fastened from within the hollow space of the keeper 24 into the adjacent face of the jamb 12. When the locked fastener is in position opposite the keeper 24, no access is possible to the bolt 29. The keeper is therefore held in position irrespective of the removal of the screws 25.

The front face 30 on the standard 38 of the keeper is machined in a plane perpendicular to the wall and the base. It serves to hold a bracket 31. This bracket has forwardly projecting ears 32, between which a roller 33 is carrier on a pivot pin 34. The roller 33 is faced with slightly resilient material, so that it will spring into the recess 18 of the latch 15, as shown in FIGURE 1.

The rear face of the bracket 31 and the front face 30 of the standard 38 of the keeper are bolted together by means of bolts 35. The adjoining portions are then drilled on an axis slightly back of the plane between the two parts. This hole is then tapped to provide a threaded recess for a machine screw thread.

A headless screw 36 having a similar machine screw thread, can then be screwed into the joint opening in the bracket and the front face.

The screw 36 is held in the threaded recess by interengagement of the threads on the screw and the threads in the threaded recess. As is shown in FIGURE 4, more than one-half of the circumference of the screw 36 is disposed within that portion of the threaded recess which is formed in the front face 30 of the keeper 24. The bracket 31 may be adjusted relative to the keeper 24 and threaded screw 36 by loosening the bolts 35 to permit movement of the bracket 31 relative thereto. As is shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5, the bracket 31 is provided with an elongated vertically disposed slot 39 for each of the bolts 35. The use of such an elongated slot and bolt for providing adjustability between two members is known in the art as evidenced by the patent to Schmidgall, Patent No. 1,614,046.

The inner area of the keeper 24 is directly opposite the fastener casing and the latch 15. Thus the bolt 29 is inaccessible so long as the fastener is in closed position. This is true regardless of the possibility that unauthorized persons may loosen the screws 25.

In adjusting the position of the bracket and roller toward and away from the face of the jamb 12, the fastener is first released, and the door 11 opened. With the bolts 35 loosened, the bracket 31 may be precisely adjusted by moving it to anew position on screw 36, and the bolts 35 are then retightened to maintain the bracket 31 in a djusted position on the keeper 24 and threaded screw 36. This will establish a precise initial adjustment. It will also permit subsequent readjustment to compensate for wear, sagging of the door or compression of the sealing gasket 19.

It will be noted that the sides of the keeper 24 are projected forwardly as at 37. Thus they terminate slightly spaced from the front edges of the casing 13 (FIGURES 1 and 2). As a result, the bolts 35 are shielded from view. It is also impossible to apply a wrench to the bolts 35. This is a further means of preventing release of the 4 roller 33 from its locking engagement on the latch member 15.

Numerous minor changes in structure and material can be carried out within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A keeper for a latch comprising a body member having a base and a standard having a front face perpendicular to the base, a bracket adjustably mounted on said standard, a latch engaging member on the bracket, said bracket having a rear face, means for adjustably fastening said bracket to said standard to hold said front face and said rear face in engagement with each other and to define a plane, a threaded recess formed partially in said bracket and partially in said standard and having a central longitudinal axis offset from said plane and parallel thereto, and a screw threaded in said recess, the threads of the recess cooperating with the threads of the screw for precluding relative movement between said bracket and said standard when the face of said bracket and standard are held in engagement by said fastening means.

2. A keeper as defined in claim 1 wherein said threaded recess is closed at the end thereof remote from said base, and means for fastening said base to a jamb.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,082 8/1911 Samuelson 29234l.18 1,179,645 4/1916 Mouldin 292341.l8 1,497,947 6/ 1924 Schwab 292341.18 1,614,046 1/ 1927 Schmidgall 292-341.18 2,174,987 10/ 1939 Lickteig 292--341.18 2,662,790 12/ 1953 Hogg.

2,884,277 4/1959 Hale 292--341.18

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ALBERT H. KAMPE, Examiner. 

1. A KEEPER FOR A LATCH COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING A BASE AND A STANDARD HAVING A FRONT FACE PERPENDICULAR TO THE BASE, A BRACKET ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID STANDARD, A LATCH ENGAGING MEMBER ON THE BRACKET, SAID BRACKET HAVING A REAR FACE, MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY FASTENING SAID BRACKET TO SAID STANDARD TO HOLD SAID FRONT FACE AND SAID REAR FACE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND TO DEFINE A PLANE, A THREADED RECESS FORMED PARTIALLY IN SAID BRACKET AND PARTIALLY IN SAID STANDARD AND HAVING A CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL AXIS OFFSET FROM SAID PLANE AND PARALLEL THERETO, AND A SCREW THREADED IN SAID RECESS, THE THREADS OF THE RECESS COOPERATING WITH THE THREADS OF THE SCREW FOR PRECLUDING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BRACKET AND SAID STANDARE WHEN THE FACE OF SAID BRACKET AND STANDARD ARE HELD IN ENGAGEMENT BY SAID FASTENING MEANS. 